This invention relates to a maximum mileage indicator for providing information about the maximum mileage driving condition for the desired vehicle speed.
When a vehicle is intended to be driven under the maximum mileage condition, the reading of a vacuum gauge mounted on an instrument panel has been utilized since it has been believed that as the vacuum gauge indicates higher vacuum, the mileage becomes higher value. The term "mileage" herein used is defined as the ratio of the distance traveled to the fuel consumed (killometer per liter). However, the above relationship between mileage and vacuum holds only for the same gear ratio, since the same vehicle speed may have different gear ratios from the first gear (low gear) to the fourth gear (top gear). At the same vehicle speed, the first gear offers the highest vacuum reading and the fourth gear offers the lowest vacuum reading, so that it is most preferable for the maximum mileage driving to take the lowest gear ratio and to drive a vehicle at a speed as low as possible. This does not meet the primary requirement for a vehicle design that it is to be driven at the desired vehicle speed with the proper gear ratio selected as occasion demands. Therefore, the reading to the vacuum gauge has been able to be used only for a mere reference.